Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries, weaves Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into everything the firm does for its clients and employees. Weber Shandwick is mindful of its environmental impact and promotes sustainability by minimizing its own environmental footprint and partnering with clients who share a passion for contributing to their communities. Weber Shandwick’s business plans and global employee culture share a “green mindset” and a commitment to being “engaging, always.”

In 2009, Weber Shandwick implemented a non-billable travel emissions offsetting program with Carbonfund.org, designed to neutralize employees’ global business travel by supporting carbon reduction and clean air technology projects around the world. To date, Weber Shandwick has neutralized over 16 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions related to staff business travel, the same quantity of emissions as created by burning almost 825,000 gallons of gasoline. The firm also focuses on minimizing consumption of resources like water and energy, maximizing the efficiency of resource use, and minimizing and responsibly dealing with waste.

In 2013, the firm launched the Impact Project to enhance the pro bono and volunteer efforts of its workforce across various global regions. Weber Shandwick recently held its 8th annual Making A Difference Awards program to spotlight individuals and specific offices that make a positive impact through what they do for others around the world. Carbonfund.org is proud to partner with Weber Shandwick in making a difference by improving the firm’s sustainable business travel.

From the flow of water to the flow of revenue, NBS helps facilitate the intricate balancing act that keeps communities running fiscally strong. NBS consultants and engineers have provided focused financial consulting, assessment engineering, special assessment software, ongoing special assessment, tax and fee administration, and related support to over 300 public agencies. The ultimate goal of NBS is to ensure quality results for the local public agencies it serves so that they are seen as serving their constituents in an exemplary manner.

NBS is also committed to being part of the solution to avoid overuse of resources in our economy today, striving to be good business partners with its local government clients.

Tim Seufert, Managing Director of NBS, put it very plainly: "Being “green” is good for our planet, our people and our bottom line. What can we do about global warming and our significant impact on the environment? We can simply lessen our business impact on the environment."

In 2007, NBS began measuring and neutralizing the carbon emissions associated with its office energy consumption and business-related travel. NBS’s support of Carbonfund.org helps fight the effects of climate change through innovative projects such as the Tensas River reforestation project in Louisiana that absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as well as the Truck Stop Electrification project that has enabled truckers to reduce tailpipe emissions, saving a gallon of diesel per hour.

Over the past seven years, NBS has mitigated the effects of 875,000 pounds of carbon emissions through its support of Carbonfund.org’s carbon reduction projects. This equates to removing the carbon dioxide produced by burning almost 45,000 gallons of gasoline.

In addition to neutralizing carbon emissions from unavoidable business travel and office energy usage, NBS continues to reduce its operational impact on the environment by:

• Minimizing usage of disposable materials by minimizing hard copy printouts in presentations and using dishware in the office instead of paper and plastic;

• Recycling paper and most food and beverage containers;

• Purchasing “good” paper and printing services, such as recycled paper and paper that meets the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards; and

• Prescribing to Carbonfund.org’s motto of “reduce what you can, offset what you can’t™” by minimizing travel via technology and online conferencing tools in lieu of physical travel.

NBS is a great example of a consultancy focused on improving the efficient, sustainable operation of communities by maintaining those principles within its own organization. Carbonfund.org congratulates NBS on its seventh year of carbon neutral operations.

Carbonfund.org supports carbon offset projects that clearly benefit the environment and fight climate change. A recent study highlights how projects such as ours offer even more than combating global warming alone. They can provide additional benefits ranging from employment to health, which is important to countries' economies and limited budgets.

Often the question is posed as whether to cut emissions or use the funds to stimulate the economy. But we can have the best of both worlds with certified carbon-cutting projects; particularly projects in poor countries. And the numbers add up to billions in additional benefits.

The report found, "Robustly designed and audited greenhouse gas mitigation projects... deliver far more than carbon emission reductions, meaning it is no longer necessary to choose between climate and other environment and development outcomes."

The study analyzed more than 100 initiatives including building wind farms, planting trees, installing water filtration systems and distributing clean stoves to discourage people from burning wood or charcoal. Then the report identified areas beyond greenhouse gas cuts where there was a potential benefit from projects, such as local economies, employment, health and biodiversity.

The report gives a couple examples; the first shows how three water filtration systems throughout Africa and Asia deliver health benefits such as less air pollution, which is valued at more than $300 million annually. The second example illustrates how 54 Gold Standard-certified wind farms created jobs worth $12 million a year while contributing a total $100 million per year to countries' balance of payments.

Gold Standard Program projects generate carbon credits that can be bought by individuals, businesses and organizations to offset their own carbon footprints. Learn more about Carbonfund.org's carbon reduction projects at http://www.carbonfund.org/projects.

2014 is shaping up to be another strong year for continued environmental leadership by Carbonfund.org’s business partners. These companies understand the value in maintaining effective sustainability programs that demonstrate their commitment to environmental responsibility.

Entering its fifth year as a Carbonfree® Business Partner, Software for Good is a design-driven software engineering team producing complete digital solutions for companies doing great things.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Carbonfree® Business Partnership,” states Casey Helbling, founder and CEO of Software for Good. “By calculating, reducing, and offsetting our carbon footprint, we are helping to change the status quo and redefine what it means to be a responsible business.”

To date, Software for Good’s carbon emissions offset donations have supported Carbonfund.org’s carbon reduction projects, neutralizing the same quantity of emissions as are created by a standard passenger car driving almost 600,000 miles.

Software for Good team members and clients share a vision for what a healthy and sustainable community can be. They follow the triple bottom line business model, investing equally in people, planet, and profit.

A great example of Software for Good’s work can be seen in the rebuild for RE-AMP’s website. The organization is composed of over 150 non-profits and foundations across the US Midwest focused on climate change and energy policy. The new website focuses on user engagement and easy ongoing site maintenance, so that the various groups can work collaboratively to create a healthier, more sustainable world.

Software for Good demonstrates its environmental stewardship through the work it performs for its clients and in its continuing commitment to carbon-neutral operations through the Carbonfree® Business Partnership program.

It’s still early in this new year, and with Earth Day approaching next month, it’s a great time to look for ways to improve, expand and enrich your commitments to protecting and preserving our environment.

During 2013, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery of St. Helena, CA augmented their organic agricultural practices and environmental sustainability initiatives by offsetting business flight emissions through Carbonfud.org. This year, Spottswoode took the additional step to allocate a larger portion of its 1% for the Planet pledge to join the Carbonfree® Business Partnership program, thus neutralizing all of their annual operational emissions by supporting Carbonfund.org’s carbon reduction and clean air projects around the world.

“Climate Change is the defining issue of our time, and we feel strongly that we must be a part of the solution to this global crisis,” explains Beth Novak Milliken, President and CEO of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery. “We take our commitment to the environment seriously, and through our actions, we hope to inspire others to care for and respect our natural resources as well.”

Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery is a family-owned vineyard and winery renowned for producing classic and refined wines that honor their vineyard origins. The balance, grace, and integrity reflected in their wines also drive a commitment to organic farming and stewardship of the winery’s gardens, historic building, and local watershed.

Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery has farmed organically since 1985 and became a California Certified Organic Farmer in 1992. In addition, Spottswoode is certified Napa Green by the Napa Valley Vintners, uses solar power in their vineyard and winery, maintains insectaries and bird boxes in the vineyard, runs tractors on biodiesel and works to conserve water. The winery spearheaded the restoration of Spring Creek, which defines the southern boundary of their vineyard and is shared with many residential neighbors. The expansion of the winery’s environmental responsibility to mitigate all operational carbon emissions through the Carbonfree® Business Partnership demonstrates an ongoing dedication to the health of land and air upon which Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery depends.

David and Victoria Byrnes have worked with organic and fair trade producers for over 12 years, helping other brands launch their products nationally. After seeing there were so few organic snack options on grocery shelves for their own family, they decided to launch their very own brand. With hard work and perseverance, and a focus on organic and Non-GMO Verified products, they launched Good Boy Organics in 2012, featuring BOPS (Baked Organic Potato Snacks), Organicasaurus corn puffs, and Yellow Barn Biodynamic® sauces.

As part of their commitment to environmental sustainability, Good Boy Organics focuses exclusively on certified organic products. Organic agriculture helps capture and retain carbon in the soil through the use of cover-cropping, green manure and compost. The use of petroleum-based fertilizers is prohibited in organic farming systems. Organic agriculture’s focus on soil-building improves soil moisture, so less energy is expended to water crops. Good Boy Organics’ Yellow Barn pasta sauce products are also certified Biodynamic®, an agricultural practice in which all inputs and outputs must be grown and re-used on the farm. This reduces carbon emissions from transportation and fosters self-sufficiency.

Despite all of these benefits of certified organic products and Biodynamic® agriculture, Good Boy Organics recognized that its own business operations produced harmful greenhouse gas emissions, including office space energy consumption, product shipping and business-related travel emissions. To enhance their environmental commitment, Good Boy Organics joined the Carbonfree® Business Partnership to neutralize those annual operational emissions they could not eliminate.

“I chose to partner with Carbonfund.org and their Carbonfree® Business Partnership program, because their values to environmental sustainability most closely match our own. They are well-known for their efforts helping companies like mine reduce and offset carbon emissions.” David Byrnes, Founder, Good Boy Organics

At Good Boy Organics headquarters, they maintain a recycling program for cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, and cans. All materials are printed on recycled paper with vegetable based inks. Their office uses energy-efficient lighting and low-heat strategies in order to save energy. These measure help to reduce the carbon footprint from their operations, and the Carbonfree® Business Partnership ensures that remaining emissions are mitigated through the support of Carbonfund.org’s clean air technology and carbon reduction projects.

Two of the key benefits of the Carbonfree® Partnership Program are its affordability for businesses of all sizes and its applicability to businesses of all industries. Despite best efforts, no business can identify and neutralize all of its operational emissions without the help of carbon offsets.

Veteran travel tours operator Toto Tours recognized this reality and took an important step towards improved sustainability by joining the Carbonfree® Partnership Program for 2014. Through their annual program donation, Toto Tours is supporting carbon reduction and clean energy projects around the world, while neutralizing a portion of their operational emissions.

Toto Tours provides worldwide adventure travel opportunities for the gay and lesbian community. Founded in 1990, Toto Tours hosts small groups of 10 – 20 participants to exciting global destinations. Their tour offerings change from year to year, and their customer tour satisfaction has yielded a repeat rate of 70% or higher on almost every tour.

The activity of travel and touring includes the unavoidable carbon emissions associated with airline flights, ground travel, hotel stays and dining, not to mention regular business operations like office space energy usage, IT services and mailings, and business travel.

"Toto Tours is pleased to partner with Carbonfund.org to offset the emissions generated as a result of our travel program business,” expressed Daniel Ware, President of Toto Tours. “We appreciate the tools you provide on your website to help our clients make environmentally conscious decisions regarding ways to offset their travel footprint. The carbon reduction projects you support are excellent!"

Airplane travel is one of the contributors to Toto Tours’ carbon emissions, so tour participants are encouraged to be aware of and actively participate in flight emissions offsetting for every tour.

Toto Tours also is committed to giving back to the communities they visit during travels around the world. Toto Tours staff have visited schools and made donations to charitable causes in Nicaragua, Bhutan, Honduras, and Kenya. These included the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where Toto Tours contributed to the elephant orphanage in Nairobi, a Masaai village in the Masaai Mara, and a giraffe sanctuary in the outskirts of Nairobi.

There were two special causes in Kenya that especially moved the staff of Toto Tours. The first is "The Brethren Concern," a group dedicated to serving homosexual men in Nairobi, and the second cause is a the Matanya Primary School, a remote school where 250 children depend for their early education and even their basic necessities on the generosity of those who happen to visit. Toto Tours will continue to support both of these causes into the indefinite future, and will continue to pursue ways to improve tour sustainability in partnership with Carbonfund.org.

The Purus Project is one of only ten forest carbon initiatives in the world to achieve dual Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) with Gold Distinction. This significant achievement means that the Purus Project successfully demonstrated a net positive impact on climate, community and biodiversity. Verification is the only way for projects to issue offsets onto an environmental registry.

"Achieving dual VCS-CCBS verification is a major milestone," says Eric Carlson, CEO CarbonCo, LLC. "The Purus Project is a wonderful example of how REDD+ projects protect forests while fighting climate change and improving human well-being in developing countries. It is also a haven for endangered species."

The Purus Project is the first private REDD+ project developed in Acre and is aligned with the State's System of Incentives for Environmental Services. Up to 34,702 hectares (85,714 acres) of privately-owned tropical rainforest within the Amazon Basin will be protected. This important project also preserves endangered species and a wide range of ecosystem services, provides direct benefits to local communities, and mitigates the release of nearly 900,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in its first 10 years.

CarbonCo, LLC provided financing and project development services for the Purus Project, while partnering with Carbon Securities and the local landowners' organization known as Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA.

"The carbon offset credits the Purus Project issues help our local communities while slowing global warming," said Normando Sales and Wanderley Rosa, Managing Directors of Moura & Rosa, "We are delighted to be part of a productive, efficient and cost-effective mechanism to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and mass deforestation."

The Purus Project mitigates deforestation through numerous locally-run activities including agricultural extension training, patrols of potential deforestation sites, through the planned building of better houses and by installing solar photovoltaic panels for local communities.

For sales inquiries, please contact Jarett Emert at 1-240-247-0628 or
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

About CarbonCo LLC

CarbonCo, LLC ("CarbonCo"), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Carbonfund.org Foundation, is a limited liability company based in Bethesda, Maryland, which develops large-scale, carbon reduction projects by working with landowners, communities and national and local stakeholders to ensure large tracts of tropical forests are protected from deforestation, attain international certification, and create value for all project proponents.

Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA ("Moura & Rosa") is the private landowners' organization founded by Normando Rodrigues Sales and Wanderley Cesário Rosa in February 2009 to align the twin goals of preserving tropical rainforests and benefiting local communities.

About Carbon Securities:

Freitas International Group, LLC does business as Carbon Securities and works with CarbonCo LLC to identify and develop high quality carbon reduction projects in the Amazon Basin. Main offices are located in Miami, Florida and associates in the Brazilian cities of Goiânia, Brasília, Rio Branco, Belém, and São Paulo.

The Purus Project is one of only ten forest carbon initiatives in the world to achieve dual Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) with Gold Distinction. This significant achievement means that the Purus Project successfully demonstrated a net positive impact on climate, community and biodiversity. Verification is the only way for projects to issue offsets onto an environmental registry.

"Achieving dual VCS-CCBS verification is a major milestone," says Eric Carlson, CEO CarbonCo, LLC. "The Purus Project is a wonderful example of how REDD+ projects protect forests while fighting climate change and improving human well-being in developing countries. It is also a haven for endangered species."

The Purus Project is the first private REDD+ project developed in Acre and is aligned with the State’s System of Incentives for Environmental Services. Up to 34,702 hectares (85,714 acres) of privately-owned tropical rainforest within the Amazon Basin will be protected. This important project also preserves endangered species and a wide range of ecosystem services, provides direct benefits to local communities, and mitigates the release of nearly 900,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in its first 10 years.

CarbonCo, LLC provided financing and project development services for the Purus Project, while partnering with Carbon Securities and the local landowners' organization known as Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA.

"The carbon offset credits the Purus Project issues help our local communities while slowing global warming," said Normando Sales and Wanderley Rosa, Managing Directors of Moura & Rosa, "We are delighted to be part of a productive, efficient and cost-effective mechanism to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and mass deforestation."

The Purus Project mitigates deforestation through numerous locally-run activities including agricultural extension training, patrols of potential deforestation sites, through the planned building of better houses and by installing solar photovoltaic panels for local communities.

For sales inquiries, please contact Jarett Emert at 1-240-247-0628 or
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

About CarbonCo LLC

CarbonCo, LLC ("CarbonCo"), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Carbonfund.org Foundation, is a limited liability company based in Bethesda, Maryland, which develops large-scale, carbon reduction projects by working with landowners, communities and national and local stakeholders to ensure large tracts of tropical forests are protected from deforestation, attain international certification, and create value for all project proponents.

Moura e Rosa Empreendimentos Imobiliários LTDA ("Moura & Rosa") is the private landowners’ organization founded by Normando Rodrigues Sales and Wanderley Cesário Rosa in February 2009 to align the twin goals of preserving tropical rainforests and benefiting local communities.

About Carbon Securities:

Freitas International Group, LLC does business as Carbon Securities and works with CarbonCo LLC to identify and develop high quality carbon reduction projects in the Amazon Basin. Main offices are located in Miami, Florida and associates in the Brazilian cities of Goiânia, Brasília, Rio Branco, Belém, and São Paulo.

It’s a lot easier to follow your mantra and lead by example when helping businesses transform their IT services and their operational sustainability. This is exactly what Carbonfree® Business Partner Mantra Computing is accomplishing.

Mantra Computing provides business in the Boston and Providence areas with business technology consulting and support services, using a high-tech, high-touch approach to business technology services, and working closely with business owners and managers to understand their businesses and financial needs. Mantra’s TotalCare Managed Services, various hosted solutions and on-call support solutions help clients stay productive and ahead of their competition.

In order to lead the way, Mantra Computing has instituted a variety of sustainability initiatives for their own business, many of which they then recommend to their clients.

For the past five years, Mantra Computing has neutralized its own annual operational emissions through the Carbonfree® Business Partnership program by supporting clean energy technology and carbon reduction projects around the world.

“One of Mantra Computing's tenets is a responsibility to its surrounding community,” explains Garrett Brown, President of Mantra Computing. “We also believe that we have a responsibility to do something about global warming, which is why we’ve chosen to partner with Carbonfund.org.”

In addition, Mantra Computing assists clients with technological solutions to conserve energy by implementing automated processes to power down idle equipment during non-business hours. Mantra uses remote support and remote access technology tools to minimize unnecessary travel for service support, and they help clients recycle old electronic equipment responsibly through partnership with ACT Secured Recycling. Leading by example and maintaining a commitment to operational sustainability is part of the proven formula for success at Mantra Computing.